Icey Styles in Photoshop
In this tutorial, we’re going to create an icey-cold effect using layer styles and that you can apply to different objects. Then we’ll put it on a nice background to give it some kick. You can download the PSD file at the bottom of the tutorial if you’d simply like to copy+paste the layer styles.
Step 1:
We start as always with a background gradient. I’ve used a Radial Gradient with two shades of a nice blue. Blues are good for this effect because they look cold…
Foreground color – #282c54
Background color – #0a0d2e
Step 2:
Now for our background effect, we’re going to add a starburst. This produces a cool retro-looking effect. So go to the shapes palette and look for the shape pictured. It looks weird in the preview, but that is in fact the Starburst icon.
Step 3:
So in a new layer using white, draw out the shape. Note that you need to make it bigger than your stage because it is in fact a wheel and the edges of the wheel look dumb. So make it really large and centered and white.
Step 4:
Now change the opacity to 10% and set it to Overlay. Then grab a big soft brush and erase a bit of the center, this gives the effect that its fading in from nothing.
Step 5:
Finally I’ve written my text. I’ve used the font Kabel Bold, because it has a really fun, blocky feel. Fat fonts like this are great for doing effects on because there’s lots of room to play. I’ve placed the text carefully so that the letters are quite close to each other and the n is bunched up in a nice little space.
Working with text is actually a hallmark of good design and is one of the key ways that designers judge how good another designer is. Although subtle, it’s worth observing how other designers place text on posters, signs, and billboards around you. Look for spacing between letters, lines, sizing, and general placement. You can in fact do a lot just with typography.
Step 6:
Now the main effect in this tutorial is achieved by adding a whole bunch of layer styles. I won’t bore you by detailing each one. Just download the PSDs from the link at the top right and right-click on the layer and select Copy Layer Style. Then you can just paste it around. Make sure the text is white and note that the effect works best on a dark background.
Just to describe the effect that we are trying to achieve, because you want it to look cold, we use white and shades of light blue. Blues, particularly lighter ones, look very chilly, and using a clever bevel we can make it look like the light blues are in fact shadows on these blockey ice letters.
Finally, because we’re doing a kind of comic ice, I’ve used a block shadow. So if you look at the shadow effect you’ll see it doesn’t actually blur out. This makes for a non-realistic comic look, particularly when combined with this sort of font.
Step 7:
And there it is!
Sample PSD
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I agree with several of the previous posters. You really need to go into detail about the values and colors you used for each of the layer effects. As for you other posters, get over your shape tool problems. The reason for this tutorial is the text effects
how can I find shape palette command?? pls help!
you can find it by pressing “U” key >> then go to to the up side beside the “custom shape” there is an arrow. click on it and there you find the shapes
Great tut, Will use this for sure
But you need to be more clear in the steps mate
I don’t think if you detail all the steps (with explanations) you will bother. Instead, begginers like me can understand better the process, not just paste the styles =/
THANK YOU, great tutorial. I love the font and willl use it!
Collis usted es un gran artista.
thank you, another great tutorial
I’ve proposed to myself to do every tutorial of photoshop of psd tuts, and this is my second one!
I had the same problem of some others of being unable to find the starburst, and here is what I found. Here is a link to a site that explains how to make different ones, and I think includes the one that is used in this tut…. which I think is really the “registration target 2″.
http://www.mintyferret.com/photoshop/starburst-tutorial/
I know it is a link to other site… but ir resolved my question, so I hope it’s ok!
perfect thank you. i always wanted to know how to make a good starburst.
A lovely tutorial, Thank you
Where are the screen shots with the layer effects !!!!!!
You can not make this text without it.
HI I AM A 9TH GRADE STUDENT AND I CANT UNDERSTAND THIS INSTRUCTIONS, PLEASE BE MORE CLEAR ON THEM
hi,what is up with these directions? they don’t make any since
these directions don’t make any since
where did the blending options go?
Amazing! Thanks for sharing these
Hey I just wanted to let you know,
reminds me of dr. seuss hahahaha
nice tuturial..great
Telling people to dowload the .psd and copy the layer styles is a real cop out. How are people supposed to learn from this tutorial?
Help me Where to find the star icon on photoshop???!!
Nice… I really liked how the final outcome looks. It serves as an inspiration for my logo actually. I tried using this concept on my logo but it somehow looked a little bit “off”. Haha. I can’t get it to look as good as yours. Gave up after trying for days. Finally decided to use the professional services of an online logo design site instead after googling for one (http://www.logodesignplanet.com) and finally got the logo I wanted at an affordable price and fast too. I did show the designer the link to your site to explain how I wanted the logo to like. Lesson learned. I’m not going to design a logo without any professional help though it’s somewhat fun. Anyway, thanks for the cool tutorial… Definitely icey!
That pissed me off. I didn’t read the tutorial before I did it because it looked like something I’d done before, simple and quick. So, I went step by step – I downloaded the font, i did everything, I moved my words around, resized and transformed, took a bit of time making it look perfect, then when it came to layer styles, “oh, i won’t bore you with them’. What? Bore me? You just bored me with doing the rest of the stuff, now when it’s the important bit you won’t go in to detail? I’m not going to download the psd file and copy and paste. Thanks for wasting my time. Not impressed at all! Who is the person uploading these tuts? There should be some sort of outline as to what must be included in a tut before it gets uploaded. Arrrgh I’m so frustrated!!
ı couldn t understand anything in this tutorial…what happened this effect ??
Great effect but the one thing i notice about layer style tutorials is that no one ever takes the time to explain why they’re using a particular style. I am a somewhere between beginner and intermediate and the fact that you didn’t go through the layer styles stunted the learning process. I’ll never really know the motivation behind the effect.
Dude. Not cool. I need those ‘boring’ steps and details.
I really do love the effect though
I don’t have that shape in my pallete, is there a place where I can get it? Great tutorial other that that.
I wasted my time following each step for the background and font, only to discover that the important details are too “boring” to post?
Huh?
That’s the whole reason I’m here!
To make matters worse, the psd sample file won’t download.
I’m sorry but this should be removed from this website if you’re not going to detail the layer styles used, and the psd download link doesn’t work!
Instead of comments, I can used the psd file and copy-pasting effects and resizing it, I´m using this nice effect for one work in progress.
Thanks, Collis.
Greetings from Argentina.
(sorry for my english)
GREAT.. but why i cant download PSD file???
@djape – I didnt have any probs with downloading a sample PSD file…
If you use Google Chrome look downward to the bottom bar if file had stared to download
Hi! What’s the font that your using in this tutorial?
Please answer
It’s a okay tutorial However it really anoy’s me that ur not going into details cuz of that im barely learning anything from this tutorial
allso There’s no link for the custome font or custome shape that allso pisses witch of course allso pisses the hell out of me xD xD
I don’t have this font! how can I have it?